In said co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08.backslash.181,028, there is disclosed a prosthetic foot to be fixedly secured by an attachment means to a prosthetic leg. This prosthetic foot consists of a cantilever spring monolithic member made from a substantially rigid, yet resiliently elastic material, and forming an elongated band defining one and another lateral side edges. The band is formed of two coextensive integral parts including an elongated forefoot part and a C-shape aft heel part. The C-shape of said heel part is medio-laterally oriented and defines a straight, free, outer end portion, an opposite, straight, inner end portion substantially parallel to said outer end portion, and an arcuate portion integrally joining a fore fraction of said heel part inner and outer end portions, whereby the thus formed aft fraction of said heel part inner and outer end portions not joined by said arcuate portion define a sagittal gap spacing therebetween such that said aft fraction of the heel part outer end portion spacedly overlies the aft fraction of said heel part inner end portion. The gap spacing is of variable magnitude upon a load being applied against the aft end of said elastic heel part outer end to resiliently bias same toward the aft end of said heel part inner end. The heel part outer end portion further has attachment means, for connection to an upper prosthesis.
In this co-pending application, a flange projects transversely from said another lateral side edge of said forefoot part integrally thereto. The band also includes a curved part, integrally interconnecting said forefoot part and said heel part inner end portion. The curved part is curved toward a plane intersecting said heel part free end portion, whereby said heel part, forefoot part and curved part extend substantially within a single selected plane. The forefoot flange projects outwardly from and about an axis orthogonal to said sagittal plane.
Hence, upon said cantilever spring member of this co-pending patent application being fitted to an amputee's limb through said attachment means, said cantilever spring member, during gait, will absorb energy at said heel part during prosthetic foot heel strike, will store said energy, to provide medio-lateral control at heel-strike, will restore said energy at foot push-off in such a way as to provide substantial medio-lateral control of the prosthetic foot during both loading and unloading of the prosthetic foot keel, as well as shock dampening capability at heel strike.